Our public safety community across the state of Minnesota is in pain after the tragic loss of three of our own- Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, Officer Paul Elmstrand Officer and Matthew Ruge and we want to acknowledge the hurt.
On behalf of EMS for Children (EMSC), we want to extend our gratitude for the sacrifice made by these brave men serving their community and the Burnsville community has our deepest condolences.
The ripples from this tragedy have touched all of us and will leave a scar that will take time to heal. May those that continue to serve while still hurting feel the support from of all of us.
As those who choose to serve others, we are seeing our community come together through breathtaking processionals, with other agencies taking care of shifts, and collections of funds in hopes of doing something to help ease some of the pain.
It is hard to see the members of Burnsville Fire Department and Police Department in mourning. As the three heroes are laid to rest in the coming days, be there for each other. As we often tell our tiniest patients in our ambulances, it’s okay to be sad. We all are.
Please take care of yourselves and check in with each other. We are a chosen family.
Resources and Ways to Help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Crisis Text Line
Burnsville Fire Department: Community Updates | Burnsville, MN – Official Website (burnsvillemn.gov)
Soldier 6 Soldier’s 6 | Service Canines | Minnesota (soldiers6.com)
Heroes Helping Heroes Heroes Helping Heroes (h3mn.org)
Invisible Wounds Project Invisible Wounds Project | Invisible Wounds Project (iwproject.org)
Sesame Street Grief – Sesame Workshop
Elmo Learns How to Deal with the Loss of a Loved One | Grief (youtube.com)
* Thank you to one of our Pediatric Champions, Melody, for supplying words for this blog post!